A THINK tank once described by Anas Sarwar as being on the “fringe” of his party is bankrolling Scottish Labour, it has been revealed.
Labour Together hit the headlines earlier this year after the group’s former director, Josh Simons, proposed his solution to gangs smuggling asylum seekers across the English Channel.
During an interview with LBC, he said: “Why don’t you send the smuggler gangs and put them on the barge that you know has been set aside for the asylum seekers and then, you know, ship the barge up to the north of Scotland.
“Who cares?”
Simons is now the Labour MP for Makerfield.
Sarwar attempted to distance Scottish Labour from the think tank at the time, even going as far to say that he wasn’t aware who Simons was.
He said: “My first reaction is ‘who?’ Every party has elements on the fringes that give them moments of cringe.
“He doesn’t represent the Labour party’s view. He doesn’t represent the Labour Party and it’s actually quite a serious issue he trivialised.”
However, Electoral Commission records show that Scottish Labour has received more than £56,000 from Labour Together since March last year.
The latest donation of £18,750 was made on June 5 with previous donations of the same amount made in March and December 2023.
More than £100,000 was also donated by the group to 17 Scottish Labour MPs.
“Anas Sarwar needs to urgently come clean, given his previous comments on this organisation,” said Scottish Tory chairman Craig Hoy.
'Why don't you put the smuggler gangs on the barge and ship it to Scotland for all I care?' Criticising the government's Rwanda plan, @joshsimonstweet has a solution for the 'small boats crisis' if Labour win the next election.@IainDale pic.twitter.com/rZrGJmaoSB
— LBC (@LBC) February 12, 2024
!People will find it astounding that he was so dismissive and apparently ignorant of Labour Together, given they have bankrolled Scottish Labour to the tune of nearly £60,000 since last December.
“He might have claimed Labour Together were best ignored but the exact opposite appears to have been the case.
Anas Sarwar cannot try and hide from this issue and hope it goes away. He must explain the true nature of his relationship with Labour Together because it appears to be remarkably close.”
Labour Together emerged from within the right-wing of the Labour Party due to discontent with the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.
However, it has since attracted many wealthy donors from the New Labour era who sought to ensure Keir Starmer backed the interests of business as Prime Minister.
In the past 18 months the group has raised more than £4 million.
Yet it was the subject of an Electoral Commission investigation in 2021 after it failed to declare £730,000 of donations made when McSweeney was director.
The group claimed the money was not declared due to “human error”.
A Labour spokesman said: “All donations are declared in accordance with parliamentary and Electoral Commission rules.”
